Clinton baseball team cuffs Summerfield, 12-2

The Clinton Redskins baseball team defeated the visiting Summerfield Bulldogs 12-2 in a Tri-County Conference match up Friday.

The cold weather seemed fitting for a cold start from both teams. It didn't take long, though, for action on the field to begin heating up.

Clinton pitcher T.J. Baker walked three of the first four Summerfield batters he faced, but received some nice help from his teammates. Summerfield pitcher Reid Olmstead grounded to Clinton second basemen Ben Yoder, who turned a perfect double play with the help of shortstop K.C. Clegg to end the first inning.

Clinton (12-3, 8-2 TCC) then got to work in the second inning with Yoder picking up a walk and stealing second base. Baker then sent an RBI single to right-center field that scored Yoder and put the Redskins on the board first with a 1-0 lead.

Olmstead was able to get a ground out to first base and then struck out the next two batters to send the game to the third inning.

Summerfield (1-7 TCC) shortstop Steve Schankin started the inning with a solid base hit to centerfield. Bulldog center fielder Ben Goodin next laid down a textbook bunt to advance Schankin into scoring position. Olmstead then singled for Summerfield, which scored Schankin just before Goodin was thrown out at third base, making it a 1-1 ballgame.

The contest was tight up to this point, but Clinton was about to change all of that. After a walk from Yoder, Baker sent a base hit to center field. Redskins third baseman Brett Tschirhart next knocked in Yoder with an RBI single past the shortstop to left field.

Clegg then smacked an RBI single to center field scoring Baker and putting runners on the corners for Clinton. Clegg then stole second to put to runners on second and third, which set up Spurlock. He blasted a ball to center field, scoring two runs and widening the lead to 5-1.

The Clinton defense went to work in the top of the fourth, ending a needed Summerfield rally with three straight outs. The Redskins goal was to not follow the same path and put some more cushion between them and the Bulldogs.

Yoder started the bottom of the fourth with a base hit to right field for the Redskins. The next batter, Baker, smashed a two-run home run over the left-field fence. The inning ended with Clinton up 7-1.

The Bulldogs changed pitchers in the bottom of the sixth, but it didn't slow down the Clinton hitting. Tschirhart ripped a single to center field to start the inning. Cullen Zimmerman did the same for the Redskins to left field. Clegg then hit a ball back to the pitcher that he had trouble fielding to load the bases.

Clinton's Reid Clark dropped an RBI single into center field just out of reach of Bulldog gloves. Hunter Pizzo ended the game with a two-RBI single to right field. The game was called due to the mercy rule with the score 12-2 in the sixth inning.

"T.J.'s pitching was outstanding," said Clinton coach Steve DeGood. "It was a tough day where conditions were one way at the start of the game and by the end it was cold. The hitting didn't stop after a few runs today. Sometimes we do that. Today we kept hitting and kept hitting and going at it."

Baker recorded the win for the Redskins and struck out nine Summerfield batters in six innings. Olmstead took the loss for the Bulldogs, but he threw for seven strikeouts in five innings.